Judge dismisses murder charge against Arkansas sheriff nominee who killed daughter's alleged abuser
CBS News • • nation
Key Points:
- A judge dismissed the second-degree murder charge against Aaron Spencer, an Arkansas man and GOP sheriff nominee, due to lost dash camera evidence potentially critical to the case.
- The dash camera memory card, which may have recorded the shooting, was lost after law enforcement mishandled the evidence, leading the judge to rule the conduct "egregious" enough to warrant dismissal.
- Spencer shot and killed Michael Fosler, who was accused of sexually abusing Spencer's teenage daughter and was out on bond at the time; Spencer claimed he acted to protect his child.
- Spencer won the GOP nomination for sheriff in Lonoke County while awaiting trial and has pledged to create a team to combat sex crimes against children.
- The case's original judge was replaced after a ruling that a gag order violated Spencer's First Amendment rights, and prosecutors have not yet commented on the dismissal.